AN: I FINALLY GOT THIS WRITTEN GUYS. I know it's not very exciting but... fluff. The next chapter will be more interesting (and also upsetting) I promise, in the meantime, enjoy this.

Jack stared at her for a long moment, unintentionally worrying Katherine more and more with every second of silence that passed. Finally, he remembered how to speak.

"What?"

Needless to say, that wasn't the answer Katherine had been hoping for. She grabbed one of his hands. 

"I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I know, it's very unladylike for me to ask you, and it's probably a huge blow to your masculinity, and if you want, we can tell everyone that you asked me, just please say yes?"

"What? No, I'm not worried about that, I'm just..." He paused, grinning. "Yes."

A grin as wide as his appeared on Katherine's face. "Yes?"

Instead of responding with words, Jack kissed her, and though they eventually pulled away, they still held onto each other tightly. 

"We're getting married." Jack murmured, shocked by the mere fact that someone wanted to marry him. Katherine nodded.

"We are. Preferably as soon as I get out of this hospital."

He made a face at the mention of their current surroundings. "Way to kill a mood."

Katherine just kept on smiling and leaned back onto Jack's chest. They stayed like that until morning. They chatted occasionally, talking about this or that, but neither of them slept again. They were too overwhelmed by their own happiness.

oOo

Bright and early the next morning, Jack and Katherine both looked up with a start as Joseph Pulitzer opened the door and entered the room. He eyed the two of them in a way that made it clear he did not approve of their current closeness, but he didn't mention it.

"Mr. Kelly, might you want to go back to those newsies of yours and update them on the situation?" Jack's eyes widened. He knew Pulitzer was just trying to get rid of them, but he realized that the boys had no idea what was going on. He nodded.

"Yeah, good idea. Thanks, Joe." He gently untangled himself from Katherine and stood up, but he didn't leave before pressing kiss to Katherine's lips, lingering there far longer than her father would have liked. He grinned at her, simply relishing in the knowledge that he was going to marry this girl. "See you soon." He murmured before walking out, deciding it was best not to give Pulitzer another glance.

Katherine turned to her father and watched him, praying he was here to talk to her as her father, rather than Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper giant. She really needed her father. 

So when he sat down on the edge of the bed and opened his arms, she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms closed tightly around her. She didn't understand it, but in that moment, she completely lost control of her emotions, and began to sob into her father's shoulder. 

She had just come to the realization that she was finally safe.